Angels Landing is one of the world’s most renowned hikes. It not a long hike, it can be completed in a morning but it is an unforgettable adventure hike — worthy of all bucket lists.
Mostly you are walking up ramps made of rock and switchbacks including the 23 in Walter’s Wiggles. It can be hot in the summer but you can cool off in Refrigerator Canyon where the temp can drop 20 degrees.
The heart pounding views of Zion Canyon’s 270 million-year-old rock layers will keep your heart pounding if the steep accent doesn’t do the trick.
They say hikers with an average physical condition do it but for those afraid of heights, but it can be mentally challenging. The steep switchbacks and sheer drop off will certainly heighten one’s senses.
The video above was shot at the end of June 2018 with a Insta360 One 360 degree camera. 360 degree cameras have two 180 degree lenses that shoot everything. You decide later what angle you want to see in the final video. You can look up, look down, look back at yourself, look forward – the choices while editing are endless. You can even use the same clip more than once with different angles.
We headed out in the morning from the Zion Lodge. Grabbed a coffee and the shuttle and joined a throng of other people at the trail head. The trail starts off with a gradual incline through some forested area and then quickly rises above the canyon on a trail carved out of the canyon side.
The views are amazing though out the hike. You’ll need to take plenty of rests on the accent to catch your breath, from the hiking and the views. And bring plenty of water.
The trails gets crowded but it is wide enough for passing and if you are afraid of the sheer drop offs, you can hug the canyon wall side.
After switch-backing your way to the top you are rewarded with a flat spot for taking a break, complete with outhouses. Just watch out for the aggressive squirrels who will attack you and your backpack. They’ve learned to associate people with free food so they have become annoying. Don’t let one startle you off the cliff!
Fool-hearty or mean those with an adventurous spirit can hike a bit further by grasping the chain and climbing up to the very top of Angels Landing with steep drop offs or “exposure” on either side of the trail.
The decent is easy and you get to breeze by those huffing up the switchbacks and give a cheery note of encouragement – “you’re almost to the top, keep going!”
One note: Don’t attempt this trail when raining, icy or wet. The rock is going to be slippery and one week after week hiked the trail, heavy rains wiped out good chunks of a lot of the trails in Zion including Angels Landing.